Jed Walentas, Two Trees ManagementBrooklyn, NY According to Two Trees Management Co., Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), one of the world’s leading architecture and design firms based in Copenhagen, London and NYC, has signed a lease to occupy 50,000 s/f at 45 Main St. in DUMBO. The 200 person NYC office, will move from Lower Manhattan and take over the space previously occupied by West Elm, representing one of the largest-ever relocations from Manhattan to DUMBO. Two Trees managed this transaction in house. BIG was represented by Ken Rapp and Tim Dempsey of CBRE.
“We are thrilled to welcome BIG to DUMBO. There is a movement among the world’s top media, creative and design leaders and it’s centered right here in DUMBO,” said Two Trees principal Jed Walentas. “DUMBO’s building stock is characterized by open spaces that offer ideal physical environments for the level of collaboration needed to push boundaries.”
Walentas said, “Our focus has been to position our buildings for creative firms–large and small–by modernizing infrastructure and providing first-rate amenities in a unique community defined by its independent local businesses.”
BIG’s move to 45 Main St. is just the latest proof that the primary sphere of influence in the creative, media and design world is crossing the East River, from Manhattan to Brooklyn, with DUMBO as an increasingly popular destination. At 45 Main St., BIG will be joining some of the world’s top creative brands, including HUGE, Big Spaceship, Hudson Union, The Joey Company and Mammoth Advertising. Nearby, Two Trees’ 55 Washington St. has a tenant roster that includes DDB Spike and Apex Exposure.
“With the majority of my colleagues, myself included, living in Brooklyn and the continuous enhancement of the neighborhood through the expansion of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Two Trees community, DUMBO is an obvious choice for BIG in NYC. The visual excitement and physical proximity to downtown Manhattan combined with DUMBO’s artistic spirit and access to public space feels like our native Copenhagen, making it as Scandimerican as any place I can think of,” said Bjarke Ingels.
Over the past year, Two Trees has made a significant investment in enhanced building amenities at its DUMBO office properties including new green roof decks created by High Line designer James Corner Field Operations. In fact, it was the roof deck that made 45 Main St. such an appealing location for BIG in its search for the ideal DUMBO office space. Built in 1912, 12-floor 45 Main St. has 475,000 rentable s/f and is situated within walking distance of five New York City subway lines.
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